


Balancing Act

by Kay (sincere)



Category: Bleach
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Gen, childhood antics
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-28
Updated: 2014-09-28
Packaged: 2018-02-19 01:23:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 834
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2369240
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sincere/pseuds/Kay
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>For some reason, Renji did not consult Rukia before running headfirst into a growth spurt, which is unfortunate, because she has a problem with it. It makes her feel small for the first time in their relationship.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Balancing Act

**Author's Note:**

> Contains Renji/Rukia friendshippy feelings. Tiny bbs in Rukongai. Written for the [](http://fic-promptly.dreamwidth.org/profile)[](http://fic-promptly.dreamwidth.org/)**fic_promptly** prompt, "growth spurt".

Six years after Rukia met Renji, he became very tall.

It happened abruptly. He had always been the same average height as most of them, taller than bratty little Takumi but not as tall as Haruto, and Rukia had been in that same average height range, so they were all more or less equal. She had been content with that state of affairs.

But then, in the space of only weeks, he began to grow up -- literally. His legs and arms got long, showcased by the way he had to awkwardly stuff them in clothing that no longer fit him.

"Of _course_ you would choose now to start growing," Rukia accused him. "It's freezing cold and everyone's homes are locked up tight."

"I didn't _choose_ it!" he retorted, flushing. "You'll see for yourself whenever _you_ start growing."

"If she ever does," Takumi added with a helpful smirk.

The subject of height had been one of keen interest among the boys for a long time; on what seemed like a nightly basis they gathered avidly against a tree to measure off the tops of their heads. Rukia had held herself aloof from such childish antics, in large part because while the boys were slowly becoming taller, she was very nearly still the same slender little thing she had been when she first met them.

"You would shut your mouth if you had any notion of what was good for you, Takumi," she said darkly. Takumi gave her a lingering look and wisely decided against pressing the issue. "Girls are supposed to be dainty!" she added, half to herself.

She was ready for Renji to stop growing, because he was at a perfectly reasonable height for a boy of his age, and only _slightly_ towered above her -- but it continued long past the point of reasonableness. The other boys became teenagers over the course of that winter, but Renji became as tall as any of the adults in town. Rukia scarcely came past his elbow.

"You can stop now," she told him tartly. "We're all very impressed."

Takumi cackled, and Renji went red, which he seemed to do every time someone called attention to his height. "I didn't ask anyone to be impressed! And I didn't ask to be this _tall_."

Souta said avidly, "It is impressive, though. I bet you could pick Rukia up with one arm now, Renji."

Rukia shot to her feet, kicked an empty bucket at him, and announced, "I'm going out to look for more berries, _if that's something you don't have to be tall to do_."

She stormed outside before anyone could react, welcoming the shock of frigid wind that immediately stole her breath. She told herself that it didn't matter if she never did get to be tall, and she told herself that she just hadn't hit her own growth spurt yet and no doubt by the time they were done growing she would be able to look Renji in the eye and stand equal to him.

The way she had before that winter.

A heavy footstep came behind her, crunching into the snow much louder than her own small feet. Rukia didn't need to look to know that it would be him.

"I hope you came to make yourself useful."

Renji said, "Of course I did. If you took too long and froze to death, those assholes would be completely lost."

He said it as if it were so natural, so easy, that she somehow led them; she remembered back at the beginning, when he'd resented her for taking away the leadership of his little band of boys. If she didn't remember it so clearly she would wonder if she had only imagined it.

A faint smile touched her face. She asked, "And you?"

"I'd be fine," he scoffed. "I don't need you leading me around by the hand!"

"Where would you go, then? If you could go anywhere."

She didn't look back at him, and he didn't move into her line of sight. There was a long beat, pausing, before he said, "I dunno. Where do you want to go?"

Maybe it really didn't matter how tall Renji got as long as he didn't get any stupid ideas about being better than her, she thought, smile spreading. The sentimentality was knocked out of her as another cold gust of wind sent her thin robe around her legs. She shivered, wrapping her arms around herself. "Somewhere warmer, probably," she joked.

Renji stepped closer, almost close enough that she could feel the heat of him, and used his bigger body to block the wind. He scolded, "I can't believe you came out here dressed like that, idiot. For someone who's so smart, you make some pretty stupid decisions."

She closed her eyes. "I feel much warmer already," she said, her voice serene. "It would seem that unnecessarily clunky body of yours comes in useful after all."

That inspired more griping, but she didn't listen to a word of it.


End file.
